Some are minor and probably insignificant, but the still play a
role in shaping our character and identity.

I believe we have more regrets as we get older, not just because
we’ve experienced more in life and obviously we regret a certain
number of those experiences, but also because we gain wisdom from
our past regrets. This wisdom helps us better identify previous
mistakes or regrets, and hopefully some potential future ones as
well, keeping us from actually experiencing those.

We may have the same experiences in our memory, but now we’re
wise enough to regret them.

There also may be repercussions as we get older that weren’t as
obvious earlier in life.

Our children
are a great example of this one. Over or under disciplining
our children may not seem like an issue at the time, but the
outcome in their lives will show up when they’re in their 20’s and,
because you wanted to be the ‘cool dad, you didn’t teach them
self-discipline.

Financial decisions
may be another one that doesn’t really show up in a big way until
you’re in your late 40’s and realize you really SHOULD have put
something into your retirement account when that financial adviser
told you.

So really, regrets are an indication of wisdom. Whether
we’ve already had that wisdom and ignored it, or we developed the
wisdom and now wish we had done something different.

Healthy Attitude tip
1:

Be grateful for your awareness of regrets. You’ve
grown.

Imagine if you had done the same things, taken the same actions
and ended up with the same results, but you had no regrets about
it.

I think the “No Regrets” mantra is one born out of ignorance and sometimes even
stubbornness.

We don’t want to ever admit we did something wrong, so we
champion this “no regrets” thing.

There are websites devoted to tattoos that were
meant to say “no regrets” but, ironically, they were misspelled.
There’s even one featured in the movie “We’re The Millers”
where the daughter introduces her new boyfriend who sports a tattoo
on this chest that says “No Ragrets.”

Regret actions… but don’t let regret become part of your
identity.

Analyse your regrets so you can clearly define where you took a
bad turn. If you don’t know what you did that lead to your regrets,
you won’t know what to avoid in the future. You may find yourself
riddled with extreme caution and taking no action rather than
taking well thought out and wise action.

I regret riding my bike down a giant
dirt hill when I was 5 or 6 years old because it left me with a
broken arm.

I don’t avoid riding bikes
now.

I don’t avoid riding bikes down
hills

I do avoid riding a bike on a hill
that’s beyond my skill level. I was 5 and could barely ride
on a straight paved road and there I was trying to keep up with the
older kids, riding down a giant rocky dirt hill. Ouch.

Healthy Attitude Tip
2:

Clearly chart the path to your past regrets. Don’t
generalize.

You probably realize, your’e not the only one with regrets.
We’ve all had them. But, we assume our regrets are worse or more
consequential in life. But they're usually not. This is the
downfall of today’s communities. We spend time with the fake
families on TV and the filtered friends in social media, instead of
gathering in our neighborhoods with other real people who can
openly share of their mistakes.

One thing I don’t regret is being part of a faith community that
didn’t gather every Sunday to hear one professional member of the
community give a very entertaining prepared speech or sermon. In
our community, we all gathered to talk about life, share food and
enjoy some adult beverages. Conversations ranged from
politics, careers, family, hobbies, and everything else. We
all learned from each other’s REAL LIFE experiences.

They say there’s only one thing better than learning from your
mistakes, that’s learning from someone else’s mistakes. The
same lesson without the same pain. Seek the advice of those who are
older and have wisdom. We’ve already said we can learn from
regrets and we tend to have more (or be aware of more) of them when
we get older.

So ask some people older than you, “What do you regret?”

What do you
regret?

I would love to knwo what regrets you may have in life and what
you've learned from them. Would you Tweet it to me @PDesmondAdams and use the hashtage #successforfailures if you want to be able
to track others who comment.

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About the Podcast

This show will help you find abundant success in your personal as well as business life. You'll be lead towards greater achievement in your physical well-being, accomplishments in your business or career, and true joy in your relationships, by focusing on your attitude and mindset.
Your host, P. Desmond Adams will show you how to "change the world around you by changing the world within you." Desmond will teach you how to see all of life's experiences as beneficial to your whole being, discover how to be steady and consistent in your efforts so you can finally finish what you started, increase what you accomplish in life with the same amount of time and effort, and understand the greater purpose of your existence and how that will bring an unimagined peace within.
You'll benefit from over 30 years of study Desmond has done through the teachings of personal development and self-help teachers such as Tony Robbins, Napoleon Hill, Gregg Braden, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Wallace Wattles, Jack Canfield, Ernest Holmes, Rhonda Byrne and the one who finally helped Desmond discover the secret to the Law of Attraction, Charles F. Haanel.